Has gerrymandering of congressional districts backfired on Republicans?

Monday

Jul 1, 2013 at 3:10 PM

The term “gerrymandering,” if you don’t know, refers to the drawing of boundaries in a legislative district to favor one party or group over others. For example, the boundaries of a congressional district can be drawn in some cases to ensure that there are more Republicans than Democrats (or vice versa) living there.

The practice is known as gerrymandering because Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a bill in 1812 that included a remapped district that looked like a salamander (as in the political cartoon above).

When gerrymandering is done on a grand scale — statewide, for instance — it can ...

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Pat Cunningham

The term “gerrymandering,” if you don’t know, refers to the drawing of boundaries in a legislative district to favor one party or group over others. For example, the boundaries of a congressional district can be drawn in some cases to ensure that there are more Republicans than Democrats (or vice versa) living there.

The practice is known as gerrymandering because Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a bill in 1812 that included a remapped district that looked like a salamander (as in the political cartoon above).

When gerrymandering is done on a grand scale — statewide, for instance — it can ...